Hello everyone! Today, I would like to take some time in order to focus on a communication medium that is, to my eyes, not nearly enough used or even considered by small and medium companies within their marketing strategy.
Yet, it remains one of the most useful documents when it comes to presenting your business, your team, your values as well as your professional story to the press.
Today, let’s talk about the press pack.
First of all, I think it is important to get back to basics.
By this I mean that it would be useful to start this article by reminding ourselves what are the specific uses of the medium and whom may be its recipients.
Later on, I will conclude this article by taking some more time to talk about Scribus, an editing software distributed under free licence.
Scribus will allow you to work on your press pack -or any other kind of documents- at minimum costs!
What Is a Press Pack?
The press pack, or media kit, can take several shapes. It may either be a paper document counting several pages (generally around 10 to 15 pages), or a pdf file journalists may either download from your website or from an email that you would have directly sent them (both greener options that will also allow journalists to read the document offline).
Finally, it can also take the form of a proper, independent webpage inserted in your website’s menu.
Its “dense” format allows to benefit from the ideal space to present in more details your company’s values, projects, products, collaborations, partnerships, and even events.
Be nevertheless careful when redacting a press pack.
It is, indeed, a communication medium that rightfully belongs in a well-thought strategy. However, its goal is not to become another random ad space promoting your products or services.
It would be a mistake to reduce its purpose to this sole use.
If this document needs to focus on your products and services -and it will at some point- it will be done so in order to better introduce them and shed light on their key functionalities for example.
But do not consider a press pack as a mere promotional flyer as it is nothing but this.
Always keep in mind that your press pack is the document your will send to different teams of journalists in order to introduce your business to them.
In turn, and if they accept to do so, they will use this material to communicate about your company to their audiences.
Of course, the press pack could also be read by potential partners, investors, or even prospects whom would like to know more about your business before buying your products or subscribing to your services.
How to Best Organize a Press Pack?
Though a press pack demands well-thought, professional and careful writting, it is also important to give a special place to images within its content as it is a medium that relies a lot on visuals.
When editing a press pack, draw the best from your existing visual identity and use it so as to highlight and personalize the document’s layout. Your press pack must stand out from the mass.
If you happen to ask yourself questions about the ideal language level to rely on, it is advised not to resort to too complicated or tortuous sentences.
Clarity and accuracy are key when it comes to keeping the interest of your readers throughout several pages of presentation.
If it was at all possible to summarize the key points that should be featured in all press packs, the list below would pretty much sum them up:
#1
Make sure to talk about your founders. Draw their portraits as to humanize your company. Why not talking about your team as well, particularly if it is a small, family-like team.
#2
Dedicate a page or two to sharing the story of your business as well as your company’s values. Why not illustrate said values by introducing some of the projects you delivered and that you loved working on?
#3
The press is already talking about you? Then don’t hesitate to share existing contents talking about your company: articles, videos… as well as any other medium shedding light on your business and projects. All are worth including.
#4
Keep in mind that statistics are very useful and evocative when it comes to understanding the evolutions -and results- of a business. Make sure to share them in your press pack!
#5
Contact details are truly essential in a press pack, make sure your company’s contact information are legible and up-to-date.
#6
Don’t forget to share a link to a dedicated webpage from which journalists would be able to download all the materials they need in order to write their article: corporate images, logos of your company…
Having now seen those key points above, what kind of free software your team could rely on in order to edit a professional press pack?
Scribus, the free licence tool institutions use to edit their professional documents’ layout.
the free licence editing software.
Internet is a wonderful tool, provided you know how to draw advantage from it!
Among the quantity of professional softwares available for purchase online, some reliable tools are created and shared under free licence meaning that they can be downloaded for free or in exchange of a small financial (and voluntary) contribution.
The Scribus software is one of them and is a very nice alternative to the most famous and paid-for software InDesign (by Adobe).
Among its numerous functionalities, Scribus allows to create complex layouts, be they destined to be printed or to be exported as digital files.
Organize blocks of texts and images within your digital workspace both simply and easily thanks to this open source tool.
Click on the link below to safely download Scribus
Relying On a Professional Expertise to Edit Your Press Pack
Of course, editing a press pack is a demanding task and creating it internally might not be the best of solution for some businesses lacking either time or the right expertise.
As always, La Lune des Fraises remains available to carry out with you, and for you, the press pack you need in order to best communicate about your business.
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